Veteran Steven still without a home

Homeless war veteran Steven Dench has been offered temporary housing — at a facility which has already put him out on the street.

Steven Dench, a former Black Watch member, has ended up on the streets of Stirling (Photo: Stirling Observer)

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

Steven (54), whose plight was revealed in Friday’s Observer, suffers Post Traumatic Stress from his time in the Black Watch.

Stirling Council told him he can have a room at Tarragon House in Alloa, but the homeless shelter refused to take him when he was sent there by the local authority in the summer.

The grandfather-of-three, from Cambusbarron, Stirling, revealed: “Minutes after I arrived the man in charge put my suitcases out on the street and locked the door.

“I can’t go where I’m not welcome. They claim they’re offering me a roof over my head when they’re actually not. I’ve been through years of hell, sometimes I feel like ending it all.”

Steven spent 12 years in the army. Eight years after he came out his marriage fell apart and he lived a nomadic lifestyle, spiralling into drink and drugs to block out the flashbacks from his time in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles.

Steven, who also served in Germany and Belize, spent four months in prison, but was determined to get his life back on track and took a job with Poppy Scotland which provided accommodation.

But health problems led to him losing his post and ending up back in Stirling, living rough.

Stirling Council gave him a flat, where he lived for just over a year. But they moved him on and since then he’s been unable to settle.

He sleeps a couple of nights a week in a tent inside a garage, with an old paraffin heater to keep him warm. If he’s lucky he can crash on the couch of a friend or family member. He said: “I’m not claiming to be an angel. But I have a recognised mental health disorder. I suffer meltdowns. All of a sudden I’m back in the army, seeing the most horrific things.”

Steven has a catalogue of other illnesses, including diabetes, a heart condition and sleep apnoea.

He is on a methadone programme to beat heroin addiction, which started when he was over-prescribed diazepam for a back injury while in the army.

His parents, who are in their 80s, live in Cambusbarron, where his mother cares for his father who has Parkinson’s Disease. Steven’s brother has Down’s Syndrome and lives nearby.

A spokesman for Stirling Council said: “Stirling Council does not comment on individual cases. We do wish to stress that individuals who find themselves homeless are provided with significant support.

“Stirling Council adopted the formal Scottish Veterans Charter in October 2011 and is committed to delivering high quality services and support for veterans.

“The council is unable to accommodate those whose behaviour is unacceptable to other tenants or puts Council officers at risk. Stirling Council can, and does, offer people who are homeless accommodation options, but the decision on whether to accept can only be taken by the individual.”